“Constitutionally it is imperative that everyone has access to basic services, of which electricity is an important factor,” Eskom said in a statement.

Initially the power utility made the call to action to “qualifying Northern Cape households” but they have since said residents in all other provinces can contact their local municipalities to see if they qualify for FBE – even if you are an Eskom customer.

Free Basic Electricity (FBE) is a longstanding government initiative aimed at supporting economic development and improving the lives of low-income households.

Residents in all other provinces can contact their local municipalities to see if they qualify for FBE – even if you are an Eskom customer

— Eskom Hld SOC Ltd (@Eskom_SA) July 10, 2020

“Eligible customers are identified as indigent by the municipality and qualify to receive 50kWh of free electricity once a month.  This is considered sufficient to run basic lighting, basic media access, basic ironing and boil water using an electric kettle.  Additional usage is paid for by the consumer.”

“It is unfortunate that a large number of indigent households do not exercise their right to collect FBE, either because they are unaware of this benefit or because they have not registered with their municipality.  In the Northern Cape, 85% of customers who have been identified as indigent are collecting their FBE.”

Customers who have been advised by their respective municipalities that they do qualify for the FBE benefit and who are not claiming the benefit monthly should visit their nearest vendor to claim the 50kWh.  Alternatively, USSD codes *130*869# or *130*269# are available to already configured customers to claim the benefit via a cell phone at no charge to the customer.

Eskom supplied customers who wish to ascertain whether they qualify for the FBE benefit should do so by contacting their local municipal office, local ward councillor or a Community Development Worker.